Master Shapeshifters: A Guide to Character Disguises

Everyone’s favorite shapeshifting item is a Druid, hands down. But what if you want something a little more uncommon? Perhaps you’re looking for a fun disguise to use on boss-kill screenshots, or you’re just not that interested in trolls and would rather farm something else. How’s turning into a fish sound? A huge bug? A neon rock? Maybe you just want to be surrounded in a purple swirly shield instead? Whatever you’re interested in turning into, it probably exists in-game and we have it all laid out for you.

This guide breaks it down into playable race, creature, and object disguises, as well as items that give your character special effects. We’ve further organized these items by means of acquisition and noted some items that work while mounted or shapeshifted. Not all of these items will work in every zone, but they’re all interesting.

Playable Races

Here you’ll find ways to turn into most every playable race. Some disguises even last through damage taken, making it perfect to confuse the enemy in PvP or if you really hate the available race options for your class. The majority of these disguises remain while mounted and in combat.

Buff/debuff

Curse of the Eye cast by Captain Halyndor and his crew in Wetlands, temporarily turns you into an Undead. It also conveniently reveals the gender of your warlock minions.

Players that are not dwarves, gnomes, or humans will find themselves disguised as one upon entering Old Hillsbrad Foothills and The Culling of Stratholme for historical purposes. The disguised facial features are based on the player's original attributes.

Dire Brew is left behind by Dark Iron Brewer in the bar in Blackrock Depths. Start talking to him, and he excitedly talks about his new recipe. Eventually, he drinks too much of it and passes out, dropping the Mug of Dire Brew. This transforms you into a Dark Iron Dwarf for one hour, with unique armor based on your class. Unfortunately, it looks like a recent patch temporarily broke this dialogue, but GMs claim it will be fixed soon.

Hostile NPCs

Orb of the Sin'dorei drops from any of the bosses in Heroic Magisters' Terrace. It transforms you into a blood elf, yet you retain your unique armor. Your disguised facial features are based on your own character’s—so head to the barbershop if you’re looking for a special blood-elf transformation.

Burgy Blackheart's Handsome Hat is a 100% drop from Burgy Blackheart, a rare-spawn flamboyant gnome pirate ghost in Vash’jir. He has a very high opinion of himself, saying "Feast ye eyes upon the dreadful, clever, all-powerfull, hate-filled, sword-swignin', face-punchin', insult-flingin', and all around handsome, BURGY BLACKHEART." He’s not difficult at all to kill at 85 and if you have low-levels summoned in your party, they can loot the hat for fun. This item has no cooldown and instantly turns you into a spectral pirate gnome when equipped.

Professions

Discombobulator Ray, made by engineers, turns the target into a Leper Gnome. It only lasts for 12 seconds and has five charges, but the materials required to make more aren’t too bad. Anyone, regardless of their professions, can use it too.

Savory Deviate Delight turns you into a human ninja wearing a unique armor set or a pirate. It requires Deviate Fish which can be fished in Northern Barrens or Wailing Caverns. The recipe, which used to be an extremely rare world drop, has had its droprate buffed in Cataclysm.

Dimensional Ripper - Area 52 and Ultrasafe Transporter: Toshley's Station have a chance to transform the engineer into one of the following for an hour: male dwarf, female draenei, female gnome, male night elf, female orc, male tauren, male troll, female blood elf. You keep your armor but receive unique facial details. This debuff lasts through death but does not override druid shapeshifts.

Quest

Gnomeregan Pride and Darkspear Pride were quest rewards for completing the faction-specific pre-Cataclysm launch events. They turn you into a gnome/troll respectively but sadly, they’re not available in-game anymore. However, many players forgot about these items soon after acquiring them because they were so common. The disguises last for 30 minutes, on a 4 hour cooldown, and work while mounted.

Faded Wizard Hat is the Horde-only reward for completing Farewell, Minnow, the final quest in Azshara. This buff persists through combat, lasts 30 minutes, and has a 30 minute cooldown—but you must keep the hat on to keep the disguise. Like the Orb of Deception, you receive a complete new look, armor set, and animations while disguised, but unlike the Orb of Deception, you have a huge variety of random disguises—16 possible options! Alliance, do not faction-change to complete this quest, as it will disappear when you race change back.

Muradin's Favor, a BoE reward from the Shadowmourne quest Muradin's Lament, turns you into a frost dwarf for 10 minutes. Random chance to get one of three hair colors.

Vendor

Kalytha's Haunted Locket is available for 5,000g from Tex Vortacoil, a goblin mage in Archmage Xylem’s tower in Azshara. The disguise lasts 30 mintes and through combat, on a 15 minute cooldown. It’s perfect for using in raids if you dislike how your character looks. Kalytha also has a bit of interesting lore behind her—Horde players learn that she, and her fellow mages, were heroes during the Sundering, using their magic to protect ley-lines and hold off the attacks of the Burning Legion.

Iron Boot Flask is sold by Olut Alegut and Rork Sharpchin in the Storm Peaks for the low price of 10 Relic of Ulduar. It transforms you into a dark blue iron dwarf, yet you keep your own weapons. Disguise cannot be kept while mounted and you can only buy it after completing Ancient Relics. If you use it and then pop the Orb of the Sin'dorei, you will turn into a male blood elf. It’s needed for the Ulduar achievement But I'm On Your Side (25 player). Since using this item will classify you as a male character, popping another disguise as an Iron Dwarf will turn you into that option's male character model even if you are a female.

The Orb of Deception is the classic shapeshifting trinket. It’s a world drop from vanilla mobs and is BoE, still fetching a hefty price on the AH. It turns you into a member of the opposing faction complete with low-level armor. Although the item has been in the game for ages, it’s been updated to allow transformations for newer races.

Non-playable Races/Creatures

There are many disguises that let you turn into unplayable races and creatures as well, such as wolves, naga, and snakes. Not many of these items work while mounted, but there’s something absurd here for everyone!

Buffs/debuffs

Primal Blessing has a small chance to proc and turn the player into a tiger when using both Thekal's Grasp and Arlokk's Grasp in combat. Unfortunately, these items are no longer obtainable but still work if you held onto them.

Upon obtaining 5 stacks of Felblood from fighting various demons around Desolace, you will get Fel-Infused and turn into a demon for one minute. Works on pets as well--come look like a demo warlock.

Dalaran

Magic Eater is a magical food that can turn you into many things: basilisk, roach, locust, whelp, or wisp. You will be silenced with Wild Magic for 45 seconds upon transformation but will gain a speed boost. The food also has a chance of granting you a random stat buff. It can be fished up from the Sewers.

Underbelly Elixir, a clickable vial that spawns randomly around the Underbelly, can do one of three things: turn all NPCs into mages, transform the user into a Flying Wasp, or into a Hungry Tuskarr with +50 fishing skill. The Flying Wasp only lasts in the Underbelly and the Tuskarr in Dalaran. Drinking the potions has no cooldown.

Minigob Manabonk impishly turns players into sheep in Dalaran. Later, you’ll find a letter from him in the mail containing The Mischief Maker, a one-time only wand that polymorphs the target and only works in the city.

Friendly NPC

Bom'bay, a witch doctor in Durotar, casts Voodoo on players who have completed his quests. He offers several options and transformations: a frog, snakes, ghost, chicken, turning drunk, character enlargement, and being thrown into the air.

During Hallow's End, players can trick-or-treat at all Innkeepers. They will either receive a Treat Bag with masks and magical wands inside, or will be transformed into a critter as a punishment.

Hostile NPCs

Time-Lost Figurine is a rare drop from Terokk, a boss that can be summoned every 15 minutes provided you have completed a lengthy quest chain in Skettis. The disguise lasts 5 minutes and is on a 30 minute CD. Players find themselves transformed into one of three possible arkoaa appearances and can do a special dance, but cannot mount up.

Fury of Angerforge drops from trash in Blackwing Descent. It's a decent trinket for some dps classes and the use effect transforms you into a dragon.

Deathbringer's Will was one of the most coveted items in ICC but it also has a fun side-effect: the procs turned the wearer into a variety of Northrend races for 30 seconds, some of which even had dance animations. Players were turned into Vrykul, Iron Dwarves, and Taunka, each with distinct casting animations. You could even mount up in Taunka form too.

Professions

Vial of the Sands is crafted by Alchemists who have learned the recipe from Canopic Jar. This item transforms the player into a two-seater dragon. The materials required are quite expensive but there’s now a special achievement for obtaining one—it’s the Mechano-Hog of Cataclysm.

Hook of the Master Angler is a reward for winning the Stranglethorn Vale Fishing Contest and turning in Grand Prize. To win the contest, you need to be the first person to fish up and turn in 40 Speckled Tastyfish located all around the zone. This item turns you into a fish that is useful for speedy underwater transportation.

The Gordok Ogre Suit is the new way to acquire Gordok Ogre Suit from the Tribute Run in Dire Maul. Turn into a dancing Gor’dok ogre. The one catch is that the item is unique, but can be mailed—so give some to all of your friends.

Vendor

Noggenfogger Elixir is sold by Marin Noggenfogger and Sprinkle Noggenfogger in Tanaris. This is one of the oldest shapeshifting items in the game. It used to require a fun questline, but that’s been removed in Cataclysm. You have a chance to turn into a skeleton, shrink, or gain a slowfall buff.

Super Simian Sphere is a Northrend world BoP drop. It turns you into a monkey rolling around in a neon purple ball—a tribute to the game Super Monkey Ball. The purple orb remains for shapeshifted druids in combat. If you use another disguise with this trinket activated, you will turn into that disguise and keep the purple ball.

Character Effects

These items preserve the basic appearance of your character, but with added twists—size changes, transparency, cool NPCs following you around. They’re great to use for screenshots when you want people to know who ‘you’ are but also to stand out. Don’t forget to use your own aresenal of spells for extra effects.

Drops

Winterfall Firewater is a zone-wide drop from Winterspring that enlarges your character. This was removed for several patches, but is now back in game in 4.3. Darkmoon Firewater does the same thing; it's from Sealed Crate fished up by the Darkmoon Faire.

Six Demon Bag, a low-level world BoE, does a variety of crazy things—whirlwinds, explodes, summons a Felhunter, and much more.

Don Carlos' Famous Hat is a 100% drop from Don Carlos on heroic difficulty in Old Hillsbrad Foothills. It summons a coyote. He patrols the main road so it's possible just to zone in and kill him for the hat.

Baby Spice, a reward from the Northrend cooking dailies, temporarily decreases the size of your target by 50%. Works on some bosses for extra hilarity.

Two Northrend-era feasts change the size of the player: Small Feast shrinks the player by 30% and Great Feast increases the size of the player.

There are several engineering malfunctions from using the BC-era transporters that last for an hour: some shrink or enlarge your character, while Soul Split: Good gives a golden hue and Soul Split: Evil! gives a shadowy effect. These last through death and work while mounted.

Quest

Ashtongue Cowl, a quest item for Ruse of the Ashtongue is one of the rare disguises that works on shapeshifted druids, although it lasts for an hour and only works in Tempest Keep. It turns the wearer into a member of the Broken, a similar race to the Draenei.

Foul Gift of the Demon Lord, from Mannoroth in Well of Eternity, has an on use effect that turns your character shadowy purple with glowing fel green fire--reminiscent of Illidan's transformation at the end of the encounter.

Varo'then's Brooch, from Mannoroth in Well of Eternity, has an on use effect that shoots out fiery tendrils from the user's weapon, and can chain between targets.

Zoning into Well of Eternity will buff all non-Night Elves with Temporal Illusion--turning them into Night Elves for the duration of this historical dungeon.

Rogues that have completed all steps of the legendary chain will acquire Fangs of the Father--that has an on use effect of unfurling wings and falling slowly to the ground.

Objects

You can even turn into inanimate objects. There are numerous quest-related items that temporarily turn you into objects as well, but the problem is that they only work when you’re in a very specific sub-zone and you lose the item once the quest is turned in.

Ancient Amber, a Fossil archaeology rare added in 4.1, shrinks the player and entraps them in a block of neon orange glass. This block lasts through combat and damage.

Lifegiving Seed are looted by Herbalists as they pick flowers. When consumed, it transforms the player into a common flower, renames them, and provides a quick supply of health and mana. People have used these in PvP to look hidden in the background.